


A New Love Language

by KidWolff



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: ASL, AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, College, Deaf, Deaf Adora, Deaf Character, F/F, Hearing Sensitive Catra, Hockey, LGBTQ, Lesbian, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24240223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KidWolff/pseuds/KidWolff
Summary: Catra's last college roommate made things complicated between them. Her search for a new roommate leads to making some unexpected friends and relationships. Adora's own search for an accommodating apartment started rough but ends up being one of the best decisions ever. DeafAdora x HearingSensitiveCatra
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 90
Kudos: 619





	1. Enter Adora

Catra groaned as she typed up the ad. This was never going to work. Not with all the party kids around. She had to create it specifically to fit her needs, which also might make finding a good candidate difficult. 

A sigh dragged from her mouth. This was better than nothing. 

_“New Roommate Needed!_

_2 bed, 1 bath apartment - $700_

_Utilities Included_

_Located close to campus_

_Requirements:_

_Be Clean._

_Pay on Time._

_No Pets Allowed._

_No Smoking._

_No Party Animals!_ _I don’t want a noisy roommate._

_Call_ _or Text_ _Catra at this number for more info...”_

She dragged her feet as she printed out several copies. She stuck one on the bulletin board in the hallway and left the library. She made some stops on her walk home, putting up her ad in places around campus. 

As she stepped onto her street, she felt a drop on her nose. She froze for a second, then hightailed it home as it started to rain. 

A few days went by and no one inquired about the room. Catra felt discouraged, but she didn’t worry. It was almost the end of the spring semester. People would be looking for new apartments for when their leases run out. 

Eventually, Catra had a short list of candidates to talk to. She scheduled times for them to come to the apartment to see it and discuss terms. She did the same runaround with every person. 

What are your hobbies? What’s your major? Are you loud/like to party? 

The first person was a blonde girl. It was obvious the moment she stepped in that she loved nature. Her long free hair, the flower on her ear, the hippie clothes she wore. It didn’t seem so bad at first. She was energetic, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She loved the place and was very excited. The two of them sat down to talk more, but that’s when Catra’s nose started to itch. This girl, Perfuma, was showing her that she could conjure plants at will, and Catra sneezed. A lot. 

“That’s odd,” spoke Perfuma. “Cats usually love plants.” 

Catra huffed as she finally stopped sneezing. “Well, I guess not this cat. I was actually looking forward to this too, but if I’m gonna’ react like this, then maybe this isn’t the best option.” 

Perfuma frowned, but understood nonetheless. 

The next applicant put Catra on edge immediately. It was a purple-haired woman who talked almost nonstop. Catra gritted her teeth as she showed the woman the place. The woman, Entrapta, spoke the entire time about how she could transform her room and used numbers and words way too fast for Catra to understand. Catra didn’t bother sitting them down. She cleared her throat. 

“I, uh, I don’t think this is going to work. You seem nice and all, but all the science and tech are a bit much for me to live with.” 

Entrapta shrugged. “That’s okay! If this isn’t meant to be, then it’s just not the one! Thanks for showing me around anyway.” 

Catra blinked as the spunky woman skipped out of the apartment. 

A solid knock on the door shook Catra awake from her nap. She looked at the time. Her next roommate candidate shouldn’t be here for ten more minutes. She groaned and forced herself to stand up and walk to the door. She yanked the door open to see a dark-skinned girl with blue hair in a braided ponytail. 

“Sup? Are you the one looking for a roommate?” She asked. 

Catra rubbed the sleep from her eyes and nodded. “Yeah. Are you Mermista? You’re a little early.” 

“Yeah that’s me. Sorry about that. Looks like I woke you up.” 

Catra shrugged at the lack of excuse for being early and welcomed her inside. She did the usual tour and answered the same old questions. Mermista didn’t seem so bad, but she also gave off this weird vibe. Then came a weird response when she showed her the bathroom. 

“Hmm, I _guess_ I could soak in that tub.” 

Catra rose a brow. “Is there something wrong with it?” 

Mermista crossed her arms. “Well, I’m a mer-person. We like to be in water a lot, such as swimming and sitting in water and exploring bodies of water.” 

Catra gulped at the thought of Mermista coming home, soaked in water from her excursion, dripping water everywhere. Catra frowned, thinking about stepping in water puddles and getting her fur wet. 

“Ugh, what a bummer. Guess I’ll be going to the pool more.” Mermista groaned. 

Catra pursed her lips shut. Another application thrown away. 

Catra groaned loudly as she flopped onto her couch in stress. She was never going to find a decent roommate. Everyone has abilities and powers that just annoy her! How could she find a roommate that fit her requirements? Someone that was normal?! If she didn’t need help with the rent bill every month, then she’d just live on her own. She wouldn’t have to worry about them bothering each other and developing emotions. 

She growled at the reminder and sat up straight. She had heard her phone buzz anyway. A text message came in. 

_Are you still taking roommate applications?_

Catra sighed, replying with a yes and coordinating a time for this next person to come over. 

A heavy knock sounded on the front door, startling Catra. Even though she had been expecting someone, the loudness of it surprised her. She threw the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher and rushed to the door. 

Catra was shocked this time. She had not been expecting someone so beautiful to be standing in front of her door. The girl was tall. She had long blonde hair in a ponytail. And she looked awfully good in red. 

“H-Hi! Are you Adora?” Catra sputtered. 

The girl nodded and smiled. 

Catra smiled too for some reason. “Great! Come on in!” 

Adora silently walked in and took a glance around. The living room was the first room she stepped in through the door. She followed Catra to see the kitchen, bathroom, and finally the bedroom. 

Catra explained a little bit as they walked through the apartment. It was somewhat confusing that Adora wasn’t asking any questions or even commenting on the place. 

Finally, they rounded back towards the living room and they sat down, with Catra motioning to the couch. 

“So, what’s your major?” Catra asked nonchalantly. 

Unexpectantly, Adora pulled out a small notepad and began writing. 

Catra paused, looking at the notepad as Adora passed it over with her writing on it. 

_Athletic training_ _. What about you?_

Catra nodded her head, impressed with her answer. Then she looked up to give her own answer. 

“I’m undecided for now.” Then she pointed to the notepad as she held it up. “What’s with the notepad?” 

Adora smiled and quickly motioned for her to pass it back and started to write again. 

_I’m deaf._

Catra stared at the note inquisitively for a second. 

“You’re deaf?! How can you understand me?” Catra asked in confusion. 

Adora wrote something then quickly pointed to her mouth. 

_I can read lips._

“Ah, I see.” Catra responded dryly. “Umm...” 

Adora yanked back the notepad. 

_I read_ _the ad. You want a quiet roommate? I think I fit that._

Adora showed the note with a smirk. 

Catra chuckled too and nodded. This might actually work out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://twitter.com/piningpotato/status/1259880969529516032?s=20   
> *Art credit to @piningpotato on twitter! They did an awesome commission for me of a deaf Adora with a cochlear implant!*


	2. Move-In Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics means ASL.  
> "Quotes" means verbal talking.
> 
> Also I got another deaf Adora artwork commissioned by "artofkace". They don't like there work reposted but either way you should definitely check our their work! They're one of my fave artists.  
> https://twitter.com/artofkace/status/1262584289599913984?s=19

Adora showed up that Saturday morning to begin moving in. Her two best friends were helping her move, which seemed to shock Catra when her pink friend teleported into the second bedroom. 

“What the hell?” Catra looked for her new roommate. “Hey,” she waved her hand to get her attention. “You didn’t tell me your friend had magic.” 

Adora smiled and made a hand sign. Catra rose brow, not understanding. 

“Sorry.” 

Catra glanced back at the pink girl. 

“She’s saying ‘sorry.’ That’s ASL for it.” The girl continued when Catra just stared at her. “I’m Glimmer. The other one helping is Bow.” 

Right as she said his name, the boy backed into the door to prop it open to haul in some boxes. 

“Uh, thanks.” Catra replied. 

Before Glimmer could respond further, Adora tapped her arm and made another sign. Catra looked on in more confusion. The sign looked like blowing a kiss. 

Adora huffed, then fetched her notepad. 

_That’s ‘thank you.’_

“Ah!” Catra understood now. She was teaching her. 

Catra tried the sign on her own, making Adora smile wide. 

As the band of friends finished hauling boxes inside, Catra sat down to watch Netflix. Glimmer and Bow walked out of Adora’s new room and waved goodbye. When Adora turned away to begin unpacking, Glimmer inched closer to Catra. 

“Here’s my number if you need any help. She can be quite stubborn and won’t admit when something is wrong.” 

Catra took the scrap of paper with a blink, then she smirked. “Are you hitting on me, Sparkles?” 

Glimmer stammered before marching away with a blush. Catra chuckled and turned back around to watch her TV show. She could hear Adora in her room as she put her belongings away. 

She paid no attention to it until the discreet commotion came to an abrupt stop. After a few seconds of complete silence, Catra looked up in wonder. As she stood to her feet, the bedroom door swung open. Adora had nudged it open with her knee while holding her hands together. 

Catra froze, not sure what the problem was. A grimace held on Adora’s face. 

Adora shook her head, trying to think of a way to communicate. She couldn’t use her hands to make signs. Then she looked back down. 

Duh. 

She held her hands out and opened one of them just enough so Catra could see the problem. 

“Oh, you’re bleeding! Hang on!” 

She rushed into the bathroom and rummaged up the first-aid kit. She found a bandage and reached out for her hand. 

Adora seemed to hesitate, but gave her hand nonetheless. Catra took notice of the hesitation but quickly moved on. She gently held her hand as she cleaned her hand and wrapped a bandage around her palm. Catra patted it to keep it steady, then pointed at it. 

“What happened?” 

Adora gave a small sigh, then moved her good hand. It wasn’t ASL. She motioned that hand like she was using scissors towards her bad hand. 

Catra took a guess. “You cut your hand from using scissors on a box?” 

Adora nodded with a sad smile. 

Catra let go of her hand. “Can I help you unpack?” 

Adora’s smile brightened and she nodded happily. 

They walked back to the bedroom and Catra knelt down to a box. She smirked as she flexed her hand and her claws appeared. She opened the box with swiftness and slid it over. 

Adora watched in amazement as she unconsciously reached for the box. Then she quickly pointed at her the tips of her fingers. 

Catra chuckled. “Yeah, I have real claws.” 

Adora stared in awe, then swiftly turned away in embarrassment. She reached inside the box and began putting her belongings away as Catra sliced the other boxes open. They contently worked in unison to get everything put away. 

Catra couldn’t help but notice all of the sporting gear Adora had packed. She picked up some padding and held it up while raising a brow. 

Adora smiled and grabbed a stick from the corner of the room. 

“Oh... You play hockey?” 

Adora nodded happily. 

“For school?” Catra asked, pointing towards the ground. 

She shook her head and shrugged. She grabbed her phone and began typing. Catra leaned over her shoulder to see. 

_Local women’s team called_ _the Eternals._

“Ah, that’s cool. Is that like year-round?” Catra spun her pointer finger in the air to help communicate. Then she internally questioned herself. Why was she asking so many questions? It’s not like she wanted to get close to the girl. 

Tip-tapping of fingers. 

_No. Usually starts in October and ends in March_ _._

“Hmm, so no games for a while.” 

Adora pinched her fingers together.

_No, but we’ll have some s_ _ummer s_ _crimmages._

Catra quirked her head. Adora facepalmed and erased some of her message. 

_No._ Then she pinched her fingers together again. 

“Ah!” Catra thought she understood. She carefully pinched her fingers together. “No?” 

Adora smiled brightly and nodded her head. 

After loading everything out of the boxes, Catra left so Adora could organize her belongings in peace. She plopped onto the couch and turned on the television. She didn’t really care what was on, but she needed it to help her fall asleep. She was tired after helping Adora, so she thought a nap would do some good. She felt her eyes getting heavy. A nagging thought reached out through the back of her mind, but she pushed it back in order to get some rest. 

When she woke up, she noticed someone sitting on the other side of the couch. She eased herself up on her forearms. “Eh?” 

Adora startled in her spot, waving her hands in dismissal. She started signing, but of course Catra was still learning. Catra just stared and tried to pinpoint a specific sign she could copy. 

She copied the way Adora made a fist and circled it over her chest, raising her brow again as if to ask if it was correct. 

Adora perked up and grabbed her phone.

_That’s ‘sorry’!_

Catra pulled back after looking at the message. “Sorry? Oh yeah, your friend told me that earlier.” And she tried it again. Then she understood what Adora was trying to communicate. 

Catra pointed at Adora then did _‘no_ ,’ speaking as well so Adora could read her lips. “You don’t...” 

She put emphasis on her next words since she didn’t know how to sign it. “Have to be...” 

Then she did her newly acquired sign of _‘sorry_.’ “Sorry.” 

Adora’s eyes widened and Catra feared she had said something wrong. She waved her arms and quickly tried to apologize. 

“I-I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong?! Oof!” 

She was interrupting by Adora swinging her into a hug. 

Adora squeezed tightly before quickly releasing her, fearing she may be pushing personal boundaries. She rubbed her face into her shirt sleeve before retrieving her phone again. 

_Most people don’t try to do ASL with me._

Catra’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? How do they talk to you then?” 

Adora let out a small sigh through her nose.

_T_ _hey might type or write to me, but a lot of times people just ignore me._

“What?!” Catra couldn’t believe what she was learning. How could people not want to communicate with her? Just because she’s deaf?! That’s stupid. 

Then she looked back at Adora and shockingly saw the downtrodden wave that took over the girl. 

Adora felt a hand on her chin urging her to look up. She tearfully pulled herself upright. She felt the air leave her when she realized what her roommate was doing. 

With her fingers barely touching her chin still, Catra circled a fist over her own chest.

_Sorry._

Tears re-emerged in her eyes, but Adora smiled nonetheless. She pulled Catra’s hand away from her chin so that she could sign.

_Thank you._

Catra gave a meek smile. A raised a fist in the air and shook it.

_Yes._

Adora chuckled and waved one hand flat in the air.

_Ehh_ _._

She grabbed her phone to help translate. As she helped her new roommate learn ASL, she realized this was by far the best welcome she had ever had to a new place. 


	3. Struggles

Adora rubbed her small towel across her face. Her white shirt was covered in sweat. She turned the machine off and went to the locker room to fetch her belongings. A tired smile appeared when she pulled out her phone and saw a text message from Catra. 

‘Hey, don’t worry about dinner after your workout. I grabbed dinner for tonight.’ 

She sighed in relief and stood to begin the trek back to the apartment. 

Catra was in her regular spot on the couch as she mindlessly scrolled through her phone. With the semester over, the summer would mostly be spent picking up extra hours at her job at the college coffee shop. 

She was looking at Twitter when she heard keys at the door. Her ears twitched and a faint smiled graced her features. She waved without looking, then she lost her breath when Adora walked past her. 

Adora’s hair was in a messy ponytail. Her cheeks were red. Her legs looked pretty good in those red shorts. 

Adora realized Catra was staring when she didn’t respond to her signing. Even if she didn’t understand, Catra would’ve responded. 

She stepped closer and shook a flat palm in the air. 

_What?_

Catra seemed to snap out of it and shook her head clear. She smirked and crossed her arms. 

“Eh?! Nothing! You just, uh... look like you had a good workout.” 

Adora rose a brow, then she stood straight and flexed her arms. 

Catra just about choked on her saliva and jumped up. “Ew! Stop that, you weirdo! Go take a shower!” 

She shoved her towards the bathroom before marching off. Adora knocked her hand on the wall to get her attention again. Catra peeked over her shoulder with a questioning brow. Adora smirked as she motioned to her cheeks. It took Catra a moment to understand until Adora pretended to fan her cheeks. Catra finally realized what she was saying and stormed off, covering her face. Adora smiled and stepped into the bathroom. 

When she emerged from the bathroom, she found her roommate sitting on the couch with two plates of pizza on the coffee table. She happily joined her when Catra motioned that the second spot was hers. 

Adora plopped down and eagerly picked up her slice of pizza. Then a thought it her and she stopped. She nudged Catra as the girl took a bite. 

_Sorry._

Catra fought back another blush and swallowed the bite of pizza. 

_You’re okay._ “Don’t worry about it.” 

Adora grabbed her phone and began typing. 

_Try to remember to look at me when you s_ _peak_ _. I can’t lip_ _-_ _read if_ _you look away._

It was becoming harder to stop herself from blushing and Catra forced herself to remember previous things to push it away. 

Then she nodded her head. 

Adora noticed the few seconds that Catra seemed pained but decided not to push the situation anymore. She turned back to her pizza and finally looked up to the television. Her eyes widened and she pointed excitedly. 

Catra smiled honestly. “I found a hockey game for us to watch. I thought you’d like it.” 

Adora smiled and grabbed Catra’s shoulder in excitement. Then she motioned for the remote. Not even in ASL. Just pretending to hold a remote and click buttons. 

Catra chuckled and handed the remote over. She watched with intrigue as Adora clicked through the settings screen and finally found the subtitles button, otherwise known as Closed Captioning. Within a few seconds of the television adjusting, subtitles of what was being said showed up on the bottom of the screen. 

“Ahhh, that’s cool.” 

Adora glanced over with a question in her eye. She used ASL, but only to the extent that Catra knew, so it wasn’t always technically correct ASL. 

_That okay?_

Catra smiled and nodded. 

_Yes._ “Yeah, of course it is!” 

Catra took pride in the fact that Adora was so happy to watch the sports game that she found. It wasn’t often that Catra felt good about stuff like that. She scoffed internally. 

‘That doesn’t make me a good person.’ 

_So_ _how’s the new place working out?_ Glimmer asked. 

Adora shrugged her shoulders with a smile. _It’s_ _good, actually_ _._ _Catra’s_ _not as scary as she looks._

_That’s good!_ Bow chimed in eagerly. 

The squad was out for lunch at a local restaurant and currently sitting in the outside patio. Bow and Glimmer thanked the waiter when he returned with their meals at last. He held a weird expression on his face as he walked away. 

Adora glanced away as her friends started to eat. She took a few bites of her own food so she wouldn’t look suspicious, but she couldn’t help the thoughts that took over her mind. 

Glimmer noticed Adora getting the glazy-eyed look again like she does sometimes when out in public. She let it be for a few minutes until Adora pretty much stopped eating. She tapped the table, hoping the reverberation would get Adora’s attention. 

_What’s wrong?_

Adora gave a pained smile and waved her off. Glimmer frowned and knocked a fist on the table. 

_No, don’t do that._

At this point, Bow had realized he missed something going on. 

Adora sighed silently. 

_The waiter had a weird look. Probably because I’m not speaking._

Glimmer scowled. 

_You know it doesn’t mean anything. Not everyone knows that kind of stuff._

Adora huffed. 

_I know! But it always happens!_

She crossed her arms and looked away from the group. Glimmer and Bow glanced at each other nervously. 

It’s true that they would never fully understand what Adora had to experience as a deaf person. They were hearing people. They didn’t have to face the discrimination and prejudice that Adora did on a regular basis. 

Adora dragged a hand down her face. 

_Forget it. Let’s just eat._

Catra jumped from her nap spot when the front door slammed shut. She sleepily peeked over to see Adora marching to her room. Her brows knitted together in confusion. She hadn’t seen Adora upset in the two weeks she had lived there. She was typically bubbly and excited. 

Catra rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and fetched a drink to help her wake up and think clearly. She could approach Adora or give her space. She silently pondered over it and decided to wait until Adora left her room to see if she could help. 

In the meantime, Catra searched the internet for careers that caught her interest. She still hadn’t signed up for fall classes and hoped to go into her junior year with some clarity. She’d taken most gen ed or communications classes, since those are what people take when they don’t know what to do with their life. 

She came across some business jobs that seemed interesting. She wanted a job where she could be independent and in control. She perused the listings, seeing if any specific area caught her eye. 

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Adora marched into the bathroom. 

Catra grimaced and her ears flickered as the door slammed, but luckily it was not as loud as before. She contemplated catching Adora in the hallway or giving her more space. 

The bathroom door opened, and her body was moving before she recognized what she was doing. 

Adora felt a hand grab her elbow and whipped around. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting since she only had one roommate, but the worried look on Catra’s face broke her. 

Catra put a flat palm in the air and shook it. 

_What’s wrong?_

Adora took a deep breath. 

_It’s nothing. Just frustrated with life._

Catra rose a brow, not understanding every sign. Adora huffed and pulled out her phone to translate. 

“Oh, uh, do you want to talk about it?” 

Adora pursed her lips and typed more. 

_It’s hard to talk like I want to when no one knows ASL._

Catra felt a pull at her heart. She wanted to brush it off. Feelings have only hurt her in the past. However, Adora was different. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt comfortable with the girl. Plus, Adora had different challenges that just seemed unfair. 

“I’ll listen to you either way, but maybe we could spend some time doing ASL. That way I can learn and talk better with you.” 

Adora froze. She felt somewhat lightheaded. No one had ever offered to learn from her. 

_You really want to learn ASL???_

Catra smirked as she read the text message. “Of course, I do! It’s the best way to talk with you, right?” 

Adora slowly smiled, then suddenly slammed her palms over her eyes to hide the tears. She eagerly nodded her head and together they moved to the living room to have a fun, relaxing evening. 

_You_ _r_ _machine?_

Adora chuckled silently and politely corrected her. 

_No, that’s_ _not_ _roommate_ _. That means_ _machin_ _e_ _._

Catra pouted and then copied Adora’s correct signing. She had some basics down. At this point, she could probably sign half of the alphabet by memory. She understood that ASL sentence structure isn’t the same as English – it doesn’t typically use conjunction words like ‘is’. Even the placement of words is different, but Adora is letting it slide for a cute beginner. 

_New tip: your expression matters._

Adora had to type that one out for Catra to understand, because the ASL of that wouldn’t make sense to a newbie. Then she showed several emotions and way to use them. 

_I feel sad._

Then she made frowned and pretended her pointer finger was a tear falling. Then she jolted with excitement with a new example. 

_Bathroom._

Catra rose a brow. “Yeah, I know that’s bathroom.” 

Adora nodded, then shook her hand quickly and made a squeezed expression. It got a laugh out of Catra, making Adora smile too when she finished. 

_Doing it like that means ‘I need bathroom badly!’_

Catra ahh’ed in understanding with a toothy smile. 

The duo continued for some time. Catra didn’t know it, but having an ASL session like this made Adora overjoyed. She would be giddy later in bed as she thought about the fact that finally someone was putting in effort for her. But before that... 

A devilish smirk crossed Adora’s face. 

_Want to know a bad word?_

Catra paused for a moment, then had an even more devilish smirk. “Absolutely.” 

Adora continued to smile brightly as she signed. She used both hands and sort of made two fists except her pointer finger was out and curled. She put them together and moved them apart quickly. Then she reached for her phone to ask what Catra thought it was. 

“Uhhh, I don’t know.” She wracked her brain, but nothing was jumping out at her. Usually signs related to whatever word it was about. 

Adora couldn’t help to giggle as she typed the answer on her phone. 

_Sl_ _*t._

It took a moment to process, then Catra bellowed loudly in laughter. Now she understood the reference to the word. 

“Haha! Oh man, that’s fucking great! I’m definitely using that to insult someone next time!” Catra hollered. She had grabbed her stomach in laughter as she rolled back into the couch. 

Adora laughed quietly with her. She watched as Catra was getting a good laugh as she tried to sign the new word. The glint in her eye was bright and her cheeks were red from laughing. The joy of their fun filled the room. 

Suddenly life didn’t seem so bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art Credit: https://artbutitsgay.tumblr.com/post/189069775943/catra-in-bright-moon-as-part-of-the-rebellion-and


	4. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than the previous chapters. A family friend passed away suddenly, so I was a little preoccupied...

Her skin was hot. Her eyes were squeezed shut. Her mane fanned out across her pillows. In her sleep, she unconsciously hugged herself. Her gasps for air would’ve alerted anyone in the room that she was in distress. But no, Catra already lost that possibility months ago. 

The nightmare came to a breaking point, and Catra lunged straight up in bed, clawing at her chest and searching for air. The tightness in her throat didn’t help. The wildness in her eyes was more apparent than ever. 

She eventually calmed down the panic. 

The clock read 2:39am. 

She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t get any more sleep tonight. She threw the blanket off and slid out of bed. 

Adora felt the vibration of her cellphone next to her as her morning alarm buzzed. She rolled over and flopped a hand on top of the device, stopping its motion. She groaned as she sat upright in bed, eyeing her room. On some mornings, she would idle in the silence of her space, remembering that things weren’t always like this. 

But the world was cruel. 

She sighed and climbed out of bed to get ready for her workout. She went through her morning routine, thinking nothing was out of the ordinary. She moved about quietly since it was too early for Catra to be up. Adora liked getting an early start to the day by going to the gym, which meant getting up just before the sun did. 

It was when she entered the living room that she realized that Catra was awake and hugging her knees to her chest. Adora wasn’t sure how she didn’t see her earlier when she went to the bathroom. Maybe it was from the darkness of the morning. 

As she approached, Catra didn’t budge; didn’t even look at her. Adora felt her concern grow as she got closer and saw that Catra had been crying and definitely hadn’t gotten much sleep. 

She sat down across from her on the couch and waited for a response, but she got none. Catra was in her own world of thought and memory. Adora cautiously placed a hand on her knee and had a split second of relief when Catra looked up at her. 

_You okay?_

Catra didn’t reply; just dropped her head to her knees. 

No, no, Adora thought. 

She gently cupped Catra’s cheek to bring her back up. 

_What happened?_

Catra sighed and raised her hand to sign, but she didn’t know the words. She pointed to her head, which just made her remember the painful things. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. 

Then she felt a second hand on her face, and allowed herself to take comfort in it instead of pushing it away. 

Adora gently rubbed her cheeks with her thumbs. She didn’t know what was going through Catra’s head, but it was evident she needed some comfort right now. She glanced up, wanting to massage her ears, but had a feeling that might push boundaries. She rubbed her cheeks for another minute before reaching for her phone. 

_Was it a bad dream?_

Catra pursed her lips and nodded. 

Adora nodded as well in sad understanding. 

_Is there anything I can do?_

Catra shrugged her shoulders sadly. 

Adora thought for a minute before typing again. 

_Let’s do something fun today. Like go to the_ _park_ _._ _Or shopping?_ _Or a restaurant?_

Catra knit her brows in confusion as she read. 

_Why?_

Adora quickly typed and accentuated her response with a cheeky smile. 

_Uh, because we can?_

Catra rolled her eyes and wiped her face. 

“Don’t you go to the gym in the morning?” 

Adora shrugged. 

_I don’t have to go today. It won’t hurt_ _to miss one day_ _._

Catra scoffed as a smile crept in. 

“Alright, I guess we can do something.” 

Adora seemed to have a brilliant idea as they left the apartment, but she wouldn’t tell Catra what it was. She wanted it to be a surprise apparently. They walked down the street to the on-campus parking lot, jumped into Catra’s car, and drove off campus. Catra seemed a little bit better and wasn’t so upset compared to earlier. 

Adora would motion where to go at every turn or light. After about 20 minutes, they arrived at a building. Catra rose a brow and looked to her friend for an explanation. 

The sign outside the building read ‘Brightmoon Animal Shelter and Rescue.’ 

Adora gave a nervous smile and grabbed her phone. 

_Trust me?_

Catra paused in thought. It was a subtle but meaningful question. 

Then she looked into Adora’s eyes and nodded. 

Adora’s smile turned more genuine and she excitedly jumped out of the passenger side. 

As they walked in, a bell chimed above the door. Catra winced, but of course Adora was unaffected. They walked up to the counter where a shelter worker greeted them. 

“Hi! What can I help you with?” She asked. 

“We’re here to...” Catra paused, looking to Adora for an answer. Adora smiled and signed, then Catra continued with a smile. “Ah, okay. We’re here to look at the cats.” 

The worker raised a brow at the idea of a cat-person coming to look at cats, but she shook it off and guided them to the cat room. She spoke of a few cats there, of their names and their personalities, then she left them to go back to the counter. 

Adora smiled brightly as she picked up an orange cat and pet him. She sat down with him in her lap and another cat came to inspect her. 

Catra put a hand to her head and sighed. “This is what you had in mind?” 

Adora nodded cheerfully as Catra sat down next to her. The large cat that had tiptoed to Adora now eased her way towards Catra. She couldn’t help the smile on her face as the cat sat down with her and nudged her hand, asking to be petted. Catra obliged and carefully laid a hand on top of its head and scratched behind the ears. The cat chirped in happiness and closed its eyes. 

Adora watched out of the corner of her eye to see Catra’s normal mood return at last. It wasn’t exactly happiness; more of being content in the moment. 

They stayed quite a while, not minding the time since it was summer break and neither of them worked today. A few cats took interest in Catra, possibly because of her cat-like features. Other cats avoided her, probably for the same reason. However, Catra paid no mind. There was something else that caught her attention, though. 

In the corner of the room, hiding under a bench, was an unusual-looking cat. Catra eased the feline sitting in her lap off of her and carefully crept towards the ostracized creature. It had reddish-brown fur except for the mane of white hair around its neck. 

Catra slowly knelt down to its level and put her palm out. The cat froze, then hesitantly stretched out to sniff the offered hand. It cautiously crawled out and curled up against her knees. Catra felt like she had been punched in the chest. She gently brushed her fingers through its mane. 

Adora watched in bewilderment as she watched her friend handle the frightened creature. She had never seen Catra act so caring. She carefully eased her way over to them and laid a hand on Catra’s shoulder. The girl was startled and recoiled in response to the touch. She was surprised to see tears in her eyes once more. 

Adora quickly knelt down with her. 

_I’m sorry! Are you_ _okay?_

Catra grimaced and whipped around to look away from her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply to settle herself down. She felt something move but paid it no attention. There was no reason to be thinking about the past, no matter how much a random cat reminds her of it. 

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Catra calmly turned back around. Her eyes widened. 

Adora was petting the cat that was now in her lap. It stretched its neck up so Adora could scratch under its chin. She was smiling as the cat pressed closer to her. 

Catra blinked, then smiled. She didn’t have the time to consider the underlying meaning of it, but she could appreciate the moment. She tapped her friend’s shoulder. 

_Thanks for bringing me here._

_Really? But you looked sad._

Catra scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment. 

_I’m okay. This cat just made me think about things._

They sat on the floor together for a few minutes just petting the cat and sitting in each other's company.

_Can we get a cat?_

Catra rose a brow at the question. “Why?” 

Adora started to turn red and hesitated with her signs. 

_Because?! It seems like you like it. Maybe_ _it_ _could help._

Catra scoffed with a smile. “Another cat is not going to help anything. We’d have to take care of it. And I think we both have enough to worry about.” 

Adora looked down in disappointment, but Catra got her attention once more. “Besides, we’re not allowed pets in the apartments.” 

This made Adora feel a little less embarrassed. It wasn’t until she actually signed the question that she realized the implications of it. Roommates don’t just get pets together. Families, couples, they get pets together. 

She sighed as the unusual cat slunk back under the seat as other cats ran past. 

_Ready to go?_

Catra nodded with a smile. 

As they hopped back into Catra’s car, she paused before putting the key in the ignition. “I really did enjoy this.” 

Adora looked at her in confusion. 

_You enjoyed this? Really?_

She nodded. “Yeah, it was nice to get out with a friend and pet animals. You had a point when you said that a pet could help someone.” 

It took Adora a moment to believe her, but then she smiled brightly. 

_Good. I’m happy._

Catra clicked the car on. “So? What do you say we get Chinese food for lunch?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kelly & Connie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNOLGiOQ7os 
> 
> Daryl & Connie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeOkO8DYJ5Y 
> 
> A/N: If any of you watch the Walking Dead then you'll know Kelly and Connie. They are my new fave characters in the show because they show ASL and how deaf people survive tough situations. I have hearing issues similar to Kelly's, where hearing sort of goes in and out and sounds can block out more important things. This is so important to me and I'm glad the deaf community is getting representation. FYI these actresses really have hearing loss in real life, it's not just acting.  
> Anyway, the clip I attached is one of my fave moments to explain it's "a damn superpower". Then the second link is of the way Daryl and Connie communicate. Imagine they way they communicate, it's similar to how Adora and Catra communicate (writing and simple ASL + Daryl learning).


	5. Weird Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for mention of tv show about murder.

As the duo entered the restaurant, they were greeted by an elderly man at the front counter. Now, restaurants were already problematic for Adora, but it gets even more complicated when the person she’s trying to communicate with has an accent. 

Luckily, Catra was there to help. She took the offered menu and held it up for Adora to point to what she wanted. Catra had no problem telling the man both of their orders. 

Adora smiled as her roommate took care of the talking for her. Yeah, she has friends who do the same, but it feels so different with Catra. They’ve barely known each other a month and Catra’s been so understanding about her needs. 

But then something changed in the moment as they were waiting for their take-out order. Adora noticed that Catra’s ears flickered, and then she felt the girl’s energy change. Now of course, she didn’t know what had happened since she can’t hear. She saw the elderly man walk away and that’s when she saw two people arguing at the buffet. 

She looked back to her friend and noticed a scowl on her face. Adora felt somewhat disheartened. All of their hard work this morning was wilting away. She carefully put a hand on Catra’s shoulder, causing her to tense up and ears to flicker again. 

_You okay?_

Catra took a deep breath and gulped. She nodded. Another worker came out with their bags and she swiped them and quickly marched towards the door. 

Adora sighed and signed a thank you to the worker, even though he probably wouldn’t understand. She ran out the door to catch up to her friend. She slid into the passenger seat just as Catra started the engine. 

The ride back to their apartment was quiet. Adora had questions, but it's difficult to sign when the other person can’t look because they’re driving. So, she waited until they were comfortably back at their place. 

Catra picked at her food for a few minutes before releasing a loud sigh and tapped Adora’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” 

Adora blinked and swallowed her bite of food. 

_It’s okay._

Catra roughly shook her head. “No, it’s not okay! I just...” She spaced out, trying to find the words to explain herself. She glanced up when she felt a hand on top of hers. 

_You were stressed earlier because of your dream. I bet that didn’t help when that fight started earlier._

The need to translate was happening less and less, but this was indeed a moment where Catra needed a text-translation. But that’s okay, because it helps Catra learn new words. 

She shrugged once she read the text message. “I guess that’s true, but there’s a little more to it than that.” 

They sat quietly together for a moment, neither knowing how to proceed. 

_Do you want to talk about it?_

Catra inwardly flinched at the notion, but ultimately caved in. That didn’t mean she was going to give all the deep details, though. 

“I...had a rough childhood. My **mo** **m** always yelled and belittled me for every little stupid thing... My nightmare last night, it was like I was reliving some of that. And I guess that just put me in a bad place mentally when that commotion at the restaurant happened.” 

Adora took in this new information quietly. 

_I’m_ _really sorry_ _._

Catra nervously rubbed the back of her neck. This was the best chance as any to get something off of her mind. “I, um, also have sensitive hearing. So, when people are like, yelling and stuff, it hurts my ears.” Catra explained with a small blush gracing her features. 

Adora blinked and rose her brows as she connected the dots. 

_So, your mom used to yell at you and that hurt your feelings and your ears. Then those people were arguing, so it felt li_ _ke the same thing._

“Pretty much, yeah.” Catra paused, debating whether to indulge Adora with more information. Ultimately, it was going to bother her if she didn’t say something about it. “Also, don’t call her my mom. I know I said that, but it’s just the best way to explain things.” 

Adora quirked her head in confusion. 

_What do you mean? I get that she doesn’t sound like a good parent, but she’s your mom._

Catra grit her teeth but kept it hidden. It wasn’t Adora’s fault for not knowing. She didn’t even tell people this part about herself normally. She relaxed her jaw before speaking again. 

“I’m adopted.” 

Adora went wide-eyed at this sensitive information being shared with her. Her mouth dropped open, and surely an ‘oh’ would’ve been heard if she spoke. She started to sign ‘sorry’ but Catra waved her off. 

“Stop saying sorry. You couldn’t have known. Hardly anyone knows about that.” Catra said with a slight smirk. 

Finally, with all of that off of her chest, Catra felt comfortable enough to eat her meal. Adora finished her box while in deep thought. She aimlessly scooped up the last of the noodles to eat. Sure, everyone has their own little bit of trauma or upsetting events, but something like this was rare. She pondered over revealing some of her own secrets to Catra but felt she might not be the person who feels better about herself from hearing others’ sad stories. So, she decided to save it for later. 

Adora sat up straight with a short smile. 

_Do you want to watch a movie? To help not think._

Catra’s smirk eased into a natural smile. “That sounds good, but do you think we can wait until this evening? I’ve been trying to figure out my classes for next semester.” 

Adora’s smile brightened and she nodded. 

_Sure! Maybe I can help with your schedule?_

Catra quirked a brow but shrugged. She grabbed the laptop from the coffee table and powered it on. 

_Do you know what you want to study?_

“Ughhh, no. I was hoping it would just come to me after my first year. Honestly, I only came to college to get away from home, even if it comes with a huge debt.” Catra replied. 

Adora took a second to respond, not expecting a response like that. She decided to just keep the conversation going so Catra wouldn’t linger on the past. 

_I understand. So... Maybe you can_ _look into_ _some business classes? Even those could be useful if you end up in an office and not actually running your own business._

Adora had to type the second part of her response since it was so much for Catra to translate. 

“Hmmm, maybe.” Catra sort of grimaced. “I’d prefer something more independent. I just don’t know what.” 

_Okay, what about computer stuff?_

Catra gave a deadpanned look. “Do I look that smart?” 

They sat silently, then simultaneously burst out laughing. 

Catra peeked an eye open to look at her roommate. Adora never verbally spoke, and this was the first time she had ever heard her laugh wholeheartedly. Catra felt it hard to breathe all of a sudden as she was taken by her beauty. 

Adora felt a hand grab her wrist and slowly pull it away from her face. She opened her eyes in shock as Catra gazed at her affectionately. 

“You don’t have to hide your face.” Catra gently spoke. 

They stared into each other’s eyes as an odd tension filled the room. 

Suddenly, Catra let go of her and yanked away from her. “Not that, like, I think you’re pretty or something.” 

Adora blinked, then smirked and raised a hand to her own forehead in exasperation. She raised a brow at her. 

_Sure_. 

Catra huffed and turned her focus back to the laptop. “C’mon, let’s at least look at the fall courses. Did you already sign up for yours?” 

Adora nodded and continued to aid her roommate in selecting fall classes. 

After spending three hours online, the laptop’s battery needed recharged. It was just about time for dinner too. Adora fetched their leftovers from the fridge as Catra finished up her class registration. She plopped back with a sigh after she closed the laptop shut. 

“Ugh, finally. At least I don’t have to worry about classes for another month or so.” 

Adora returned with plates of food and two water bottles. She replied ‘you’re welcome’ to Catra’s ‘thank you’ and sat down. She reached for the remote. 

_Netflix?_

Catra nodded as she took a bite. 

_What on there?_

“Eh, you choose. It doesn’t have to be a movie. There’s tons of good series to watch.” 

After perusing the shows, they settled on one of the shows on Catra’s watchlist titled Cold Case Files. It was an intriguing and terrifying show in the way that people can do horrible things to each other. They were suckered into the first episode which was of a young girl who was brutally kidnapped and murdered. There was always something heart-wrenching about a child getting hurt. 

If Adora had known this, she would’ve talked Catra into something else to watch. But when she glanced over, Catra seemed fine. Maybe a little downtrodden, but she didn’t seem too distressed with the show’s content. Which, in hindsight, was a good thing, Adora thought. 

They watched the first episode with no interruptions. Then Adora went to get refreshments before watching the next episode. When she returned, she noticed Catra had tilted her head back and had her eyes closed. She nudged as she sat back down. 

_Are you tired?_

Catra begrudgingly leaned up. “Ngh, no, I’m good. Let’s do another one.” 

Adora shrugged and clicked play once more. This one was of an elderly couple robbed and murdered. Still a saddening situation. 

Even though she pushed herself to stay awake, Catra felt sleep catching up to her. It had been a long day. She let her head fall back into the couch as she peeked up just enough to see the tv. 

About halfway through the show, Adora felt something soft land on her shoulder. She glanced down and instantly blushed. There was Catra, fast asleep on her shoulder. She nervously wrung her hand on her leg. Should she wake her up? Would she be bothered by it? Or more embarrassed for falling asleep on her? 

A flash of light from the tv caught her attention and pulled her gaze away from the girl. She stared emptily as she was deep in thought. In the end, she sighed. She decided to continue watching the show until she also fell asleep. 

Catra sensed something in her sleep. Usually, she could stay asleep as long as she didn’t have bad dreams. However, there were other rare moments when she was awoken by something in her senses – the cat part of her. She plucked an eye open and glanced around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. 

Then she noticed something across her shoulders. She turned her head and quickly felt her heartrate accelerate and her face heat up. She froze. 

Adora had her arm wrapped around her shoulders. Her head had been resting on top of her head, but now rested on her shoulder since Catra moved. There was a faint snore coming through her nose. 

Catra gulped, wondering what to do. Should she wake her up and get themselves to their beds? Should she let her sleep? It had been a long day. Was this why Catra woke up, because Adora was so close to her? 

**BEEP.**

**BEEP.**

Catra groaned and slammed her hands over her ears. Nope, there was the cause of her awakening. That was the fire alarm. Some idiot probably burned their midnight snack. 

Wait. Adora. She can’t hear it. 

She quickly whirled around and shook Adora. “Adora, c’mon!” 

The girl groaned, irritated to be woken up in the middle of the night. That is, until there was a brief flash of light across the room, and she jolted awake. 

It was the flash that’s associated with a ceiling fire alarm. 

She snapped towards Catra, wanting to ask what was going on. Catra just pulled her up and motioned her to follow her. Together they left their apartment and towards the growing crowd of annoyed neighbors. 

This wasn’t uncommon. Every couple of weeks, the fire alarm was triggered, usually by college kids burning their meals. There were other kinds of people living here, but this was also the closest apartment complex to the university, so it housed mostly students. 

Adora quirked a brow when they continued to move behind the crowd. Then she looked towards Catra. She was trying to cover her ears with one arm slung over her head. It was like a lightbulb exploded when she realized Catra probably felt horrible with such an alarm going off. 

But why wasn’t she using both hands? 

Adora started to move her own hands when she felt something still in her palm. She looked down and blushed for a second time that night. 

They were still holding hands from when Catra guided her out of the building. 

She whipped up to Catra, but the girl was so focused on her ears that she didn’t realize why she couldn’t use her other hand. 

Catra realized none of these things until she felt something else on her head. Two smooth hands pushed her ears down and covered them tightly, replacing her own arm. 

So many things had just happened in the past 5 minutes that it was almost hard for Catra to breathe because her emotions were all over the place. She wanted to talk to Adora, at least say thank you, but the girl was standing behind her in order to cover her ears. The crowd of people would’ve made it difficult for Catra to concentrate anyway. So, she let things be, and they stood quietly behind the crowd until the building was cleared. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life's been a journey lately, but I'm glad to get some writing done again. Feel free to leave a comment about what you think about the story so far! Also, the Cold Case Files is a real show on Netflix. I really liked it but it's also incredibly sad and tragic, so watch at your own risk.  
> ALSO art credit to https://seasinkarnadine.tumblr.com/tagged/The+Devil+Is+In/page/3


End file.
